Bad weather in the UK has caused a “perfect storm” and millions of passengers have found themselves with changed travel schedules at the start of the festive period– with flights and ferry services cancelled due to strong winds, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The Met Office said that yellow warnings for strong winds had been issued, which came into effect at 7am (07:00 GMT) on Saturday and are expected to remain in force until 9pm on Sunday.
The warnings remain in force in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and in England they cover the North East, North West, South West and West Midlands, as well as Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Hampshire.
Heathrow Airport announced that a “small number of flights” had been cancelled due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”, and British Airways” (British Airways) said the change was likely to remain in place through the weekend.
A spokesman for the airline said: “Due to the bad weather this weekend, restrictions have been imposed on the number of flights that can take off and land at “Heathrow“ and a small number of flights have therefore had to be cancelled.
„We are offering free flight changes for those customers who have booked short-haul services who do not wish to travel this weekend, and will offer rebooking and refund options as always to those whose journeys are disrupted as a result of the restrictions.
„While the majority of our customers will travel as planned, our teams are working hard to help those affected change their travel plans at this important time of year.“
Ferry operator P&O Ferries said sailings between Larne and Cairnryan were cancelled until at least 8pm last night.
The change was announced amid warnings of a "perfect storm" caused by severe weather and road congestion.
The AA predicts that 21.3 million drivers will be on the road on Sunday.
A spokesman said that “even if congestion is not enough to give drivers a headache, the bad weather could create the perfect storm“.
“We advise motorists to allow extra time for their journeys and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.“
The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has estimated that there will be seven million holiday journeys on main roads over the weekend, which is on top of the daily traffic. It predicts congestion hotspots in several areas, including Gatwick, Liverpool and Oxford.